Vettel won't race in this year's 24 hours of Le Mans

Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel will not make his debut at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans after Porsche Penske Motorsport announced the trio for the third 963.

Vettel completed a successful test session with Porsche earlier this year as the German pondered about the possibility of joining the German manufacturer in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans this June. The former Ferrari driver completed a total of 581km in Porsche Penske Motorsport’s 963 Hypercar during a test at Aragon in March.

After the test, the German said that "I was curious how these cars behave, and that was the reason for the test. It was a very nice experience, I enjoyed it a lot, I had a lot of fun."

However, it was also suggested that the four-time F1 champion might join the driver line-up for the marque’s third car entry. Porsche has now confirmed its three-car line up for the 2024 Le Mans race which confirmed that Vettel will not make his debut this year.

Porsche's third entry will be driven by Mathieu Jaminet who will share the #4 963 with fellow factory drivers Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy.

Daytona winner Matt Campbell from Australia shares Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 Porsche 963 with Frédéric Makowiecki from France and Denmark’s Michael Christensen. The No. 6 cockpit will be shared by Frenchman Kévin Estre, the three-time overall Le Mans winner André Lotterer from Germany and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. Dane Cameron on standby as a reserve driver for the race.

“By fielding the third car in Le Mans, we want to maximize our chances of achieving a possible 20th overall victory for Porsche. This also means that we rely on experienced and fast drivers,” explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.

“Over the past few months Mathieu, Felipe and Nick have consistently impressed with powerful performances in the North American IMSA series. The three are a sure thing in the Porsche 963. I’m positive that we’re perfectly prepared for the highlight in June. We want to win – there can be no other goal for Porsche!”